3rd Degree from the Sun--Discontinued
by raffmeiste
Summary: As new hunters, lands, beasts, dangers, and mysteries enter the hunter x hunter universe, we follow Gon, Killua, and an OC. Set after anime ends, as kurapika travels to the dark continent.
1. Chapter 1: New Faces

**A/N This is my 3rd Fanfic, the first here, I hope you like reading it! It's about continuing everyone's journey, and, though it's going to be about Gon and Killua + OC for the first part, I might expand it to include Kurapika or other characters. Any review is appreciated. :) I'll try to post lengthier and lengthier chapters more often, probably once every 2 weeks.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter (2011).

Underline = ability or special

 _Italics_ = thoughts

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Fearsome monsters...Exotic creatures...Vast riches...Hidden treasures...Evil enclaves...Unexplored lands...The word "unknown" holds magic. And some incredible people are drawn to that magic. They are known, as HUNTERS!

In a kingdom far to the south, in the tallest mountain range in the world, a baby was born. Alongside others of his age, he was sent to a training program at the age of 9 months. There, he developed skills for fighting, planning, killing, or otherwise defeating any opponent he would come across.

At the age of 11, as the top student, he left the mountain-peak monastery, killing any that opposed him, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Having reached peak physical condition, the boy decided to become a Hunter. Having lived the first part of his life in constant training and work, he decided it was time to have fun, fighting and challenging new and stronger opponents. His name is Aranawa Sutobi.

He became known throughout the world as a dangerous criminal, with a huge bounty placed on his head. Known as a demon, he was a plight wherever he went. He could not remember how many people he'd killed.

Using his skills that he had acquired from his tutelage in the mountains, he slaughtered many, for self-protection, money, anger, or pleasure.

He had traveled around the world for another year, having what he called fun, consisting of battles against fierce opponents, training, and developing his body and mind.

Ara traveled to monasteries to meditate, challenges to fight, all to practice. All to have fun.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

"Well, here it is, the Hunter Exam!" Ara realized as he burst through the floor of the skyscraper, reaching the highest level.

The room he had violently ascended to took up the whole space, stretching out enough to fit over 500 people, which it did.

It was lit from all sides by an unseen light, which illuminated its pristine white walls, glaring and reflective from a fluorescent glow. Flawless, the floor, ceiling, and walls were perfect, except for the hole in the tiled floor Ara had made.

Around him, scared, people backed away from the brown-haired Ara, literally blown away by his sudden entrance, with several applicants knocked out from his impact.

Walking up to another competitor, who shied back and raised his arms in self defense, he asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Stuttering, terrified marauder replied, barely controlling his stuttering voice,"Y-you should go and get a t-tag from the l-lady at the d-door." with a finger outstretched towards her general vicinity. _Ha, I sure gave him a scare!_

"Ok, thanks!" Ara called over his back, running in the given direction.

After trying to wade through a thick crowd of competitors, mostly buff macho-men, but eventually just running on their heads, he arrived at the aforementioned maitre, and asked her brightly, "Hi, I'm here for the Hunter Exam, can I have a tag?"

Handing him a tag, marked #579, "Sure, here's your tag."

As Ara walked away, the maitre stopped him, suspicious about his lack of a tag, "Young man, didn't you get a tag, I thought I gave one to everyone who came through the door."

Assuredly a tenacious opponent, even for Ara, and undoubtedly a skilled Hunter, Ara was wary, but decided to play a little game, only beginning to enjoy himself.

Ara decided to throw her off with his reply. "Oh, you didn't miss anyone, I didn't come through the door."

"But if you didn't come through the door, then how did you get in?" As she paused to think, Ara's trick began to work, "As we're in the top room, we're surrounded with 3 feet of hardened steel on the walls on roof, and protected by 5 floors of armed guards from below."

"I know about the last part, I came up through the floor." Ara mischievously smirked, dangerously, but changed his demeanor to an air of nonchalance as he clipped on his tag.

"WHAT?" after freezing, the maitre fumbled around in her pocket, pulling out a phone.

"Yassune? … Pierre? … Domicon? … Anyone?" she desperately cried.

Silence.

"Is anyone there?"

Looking back at Ara, the maitre was horrified, an ironic grin of fear played on her face as she raised one arm in horror. "So did I break a rule or something?" Ara asked innocently. Not receiving a response, the troubling child shrugged and walked off, the crowd parting for him as he left, "Guess not."

After a while, not seeing anything of note, Ara leaned up against a wall. "I'm so bored with all of this," he yawned. "There's nothing to do here, I thought the Hunter Exam was supposed to be really difficult."

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

After a while, a voice called out to him. "Hey kid, looks like you're new here!" Asked a nearby, chubby man. Surprised, Ara walked up to the friendly competitor.

"First time for you?" he inquired.

"Yeah, looks fun, I think I'll pass. I assume it's not your first time?"

"Correct, this will be my 47th time." he contradictorily beamed with a buffoonish grin. "I'm Tonpa, you are?" _Perfect, he is a rookie, I thought I'd seen his face somewhere before._

"I'm Aranawa. I guess they let you try as many times as you want?"

"Yeah, but I do it every year, even though I won't pass, it's a tradition. Anyway, you're young, how old are you?"

"I'm 12. I've been meaning to find out, what are these tags for?" Ara gestured to the #579 on his chest."

"Wow, 12 and already taking the Hunter Exam?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal. So, about the tags?"

Oh, It's just something they use to affirm who you are, what order you arrived in. Sometimes they use it in competitions. Three years ago we had to collect other people's to pass." However, in the back of Tonpa's mind, he was reminded of the silver haired and black haired boys three years ago. C _rap, I hope he's nothing like them. What a crazy bunch of rookies..._

"Did you get the tags?"

"No, I lost, that's why I'm here again. On a happier note, as it is my tradition to take the Hunter Exam, I also give a soda to any rookies" he explained, giving Ara the promised drink. _However, that has an extremely powerful laxative in it. One sip, you'll lose control of your bladder for 14 hours. Even if you are one of those monster kids, there's no way you can recover from that, except that one time…_

"Thanks, Tonpa, but I'll have to say no." Ara had noticed a couple on lookers, and was beginning to get suspicious.

"Oh, that's a shame, why not?" _Damn, did he figure it out, maybe he is a monster kid!_

"I don't like that flavor that much, and my mother said I should only drink one soda per day." This, of course, was a bald lie, but it would take one much more proficient than Tonpa to detect it. Having already opened it slightly, he returned the gift.

"Oh, I see, let's meet in the next phase!" Tonpa started on his way past Ara. _So maybe he's not a monster kid, he just didn't want the soda, I'll still crush him!_

Just as Tonpa passed Ara, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder, enough to make him stop in his tracks. The pain was excruciating, but he didn't cry out, for another hand was holding a pressure point on his side to stop him from breathing.

In the three or four seconds this took to happen, in which almost no one noticed, Ara, as quick as could be, jumped onto Tonpa's back, and whispered inaudibly to anyone else into his ear, "You're lucky, Tonpa, that I didn't hurt you for offering me that. Surprised? I noticed the looks people gave us, and deduced that there was poison by the smell and that fact. You're lucky I'm not killing you, yet."

Descending from his back and releasing his hold, almost quicker than the eye could see, Ara put on a cheerful grin and patted Tonpa on his back. "See you soon, Tonpa, I hope that you make it this year!"

Stumbling away, Tonpa grimaced, but as he saw the next rookie, he put on his plastic smile and restarted the whole process. _I had seen him, his face is on wanted posters internationally, some huge bounty too. I guess I am lucky, it looked like I might actually die for a second._

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Now secluded again, Ara casually strolled back over to the wall and leaned up against it. He was bored, even drowsy, waiting for something to happen. As nothing did for a while, he decided to have a look around.

After searching for something interesting, he decided to scout out the competition, finding 3 other powerful individuals, maybe as strong as him. One was a wizened monk, another was a thin girl, the last, a weighty chef. _The chef looks physically strong, there's a lot of muscle underneath his fat. The girl and monk may not look it, but they're fast and powerful, and the monk has a ton of combat experience, maybe more than me._

Ara and the others waited around, some sharpening their weapons, some eating, some chatting, some arguing, almost all tense, displaying the classic signs, heightened tone, tight body language, and nerves on edge.

Stress grew as several hours rolled by, taking their toll on the applicants, in the form of more conflict, mental, physical, and verbal. Finally, just when people were about an start an all out brawl, the first examiner walked in, a young blonde girl in a pink dress.

 _About time, I was going to leave if it got any more boring—_ Ara was interrupted mid thought as eyes and senses were immediately thrust upon her, just like everyone's in the room. He stood straight up, a balance between amazement at her power, and a desire to test it playing through him.

He sensed a great power within her, a hidden power, stored deep within her. As moments passed, Ara looked around, seeing everyone acutely staring at the girl, with no one breaking the silence. Only the thief, chef, and monk were looking elsewhere, and as their eyes met, Ara broke the silence. "So, what's next?"

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **A/N Well, that's the first chapter, I think it came out ok. Plz review, but that sounds too beggy. If you like it, meh. Tell me to write more.**


	2. Chapter 2: First Test

**A/N Well, it's onto the second chapter, plz review. I could use some help. It's hard thinking up ideas for tests. :/**

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Underline = ability or special

 _Italics_ = thoughts

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Ara's voice broke the weighty silence of the room, releasing everyone from their own captivity.

"Good question! Today is the first test, all you have to do is walk past this door." The petite girl walked to a corner of the room, the farthest from Ara, and opened a door, that had no visible edge or hinge, so that no one could detect it. _Wow, these Hunters have some good tech._

"But as this is the Hunter Exam, it's not so simple as walking through a door, there are three rules.

1: There is no way to get out of this room without the door, and, by some miracle, if you do, you are disqualified immediately.

2: To pass through the door, you must collect at least two other tags, besides your own, however, you don't have to have your own, simply a total of three tags.

3: If you cannot do so in the next 30 minutes, you are disqualified."

As another deathly quiet became unanimous, everybody quivering for the queue, the order to start. _So, Tonpa was right, we use the tags in some instances. It's a great method, they're small, can be concealed, or forged, and non one will give theirs up without a fight. They become as important as your own life._

At this point, Ara was having a lot of fun, prepared for the ensuing battle he tensed up, ready to strike. Would he fight one of the other 3 strong competitors? Would he be defeated? _Doesn't matter! Maybe this Hunter Exam isn't as boring as I thought…_

Then, the command finally came, bringing a clamor of fighting behind it, "BEGIN!"

Ara, noticing an opening in the crowd, quickly darted between a group of seven individuals, who seemed about to fight it out for tags; snagging them at the moment when they were all focused on each other.

Running up to each of them at incredible speeds, Ara plucked each of their tags off in a fraction of a second, being so confident in his speed that he didn't even stop to disable them. He was so quick, that by the time the seven applicants were going to start fighting, their tags were already gone. The just stood bewildered, now out of the Hunter Exam.

Using his small frame to accomplish otherwise impossible feats, Ara zipped around, making his way towards the door, and taking as many tags as he could, he didn't want a bunch of weaklings taking away from his fun of fighting strong opponents. _Well, taking out these losers isn't that great, but I guess sometimes you have to work a little to enjoy yourself down the road._

7 tags,

10 tags,

16 tags,

23 tags…

As Ara felt that he had gotten enough tags for now, having weeded out a sizable portion of the competition, stopping at 52, he decided to see how the rest of the room looked, and needed to ascertain his position and bearing towards the door.

Jumping off a gladiatorial dressed swordsman, he spun in an circle above, he saw that the huge room was packed with unconscious applicants, or ones that were still fighting.

Ara also noticed that no one had gotten to the door yet, and most people couldn't tell where it was at this point. As the ones who were close to the door left to reach it, others would fill their place, defeating them, taking their tags, and as they would rush to the door, they would be defeated, creating a large amount of tags at the door. _So, the challenge makes sure that only the strong continue._

Looking around him, he saw the three other strongest competitors doing the same. To his left was the monstrous chef, standing above everyone else, whacking and sloshing through them, but as he was farthest from the exit, he still had a lot to plow through. The giant man would send 5 or 6 flying with a single swipe of his arm, making it a dozen with a kick of his legs. However, contrary to what his massive stature would suggest, he efficiently and dexterously retrieved any tags that fell, sometimes picking them off enemies as he defeated them with his crushing blows.

The pickpocket to his right was snatching whatever she could, much more than tags, taking wallets, weapons, armor, whatever she could sell or use later. Like him, she darted around, quick as him, using a short, piercing blade with deadly accuracy, puncturing armor, hitting pressure points, or otherwise defeating anyone in her vicinity.

The monk was in front of Ara, almost to the door, religiously taking the necessary two tags, not attacking needlessly, only spinning his staff to defeat anyone in his way. He was making a beeline for the door, and like the other two, defeated most in his way with a single hit.

Seeing the path of destruction behind the monk, and not being so lenient as to leave tags on the floor for just anyone to pick up, Ara trailed behind the monk, grabbing whatever tags he found. Quickly grabbing about another 50, Ara decided to be the first to the door, to try to meet the examiner who was still standing there. _If I can get her to use her power, it would be so fun! She's assuredly the strongest I've ever seen or faced!_

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

As the examiner waited by the door, she picked out the strongest in the group. _It seems there are several strong candidates this year._ Taking out a clipboard, she reviewed the applicants she had noticed. _Hmmm, besides the usual testers, there are four strong rookies this year._

 _The girl, Stama Uchugi is quite fast and dextrous, it looks like she could be a hunter with that skill, but it will be fun to see her try to pass some of the odder challenges._

 _Hilluti Flamboso, a 3-star Michelin chef, and a mountain of a man, it would seem he shouldn't touch anything to fragile, but on the other hand, he is a chef, maybe he has care too._

 _The monk, Uratsume Hurtuun looks confident and masterful at martial arts, but he's pretty old, older than me, however his discipline allows him to act efficiently and well._

 _That boy, Aranawa Sutobi, he's strong, a quick and powerful beast, and he's well trained too, taking all the tags he can, eliminating the others and anyone in his way, he looks like a keeper, but he's a wanted criminal._

Laughing to herself, the examiner walked through the door, which swung shut behind her, then opened again.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Having jumped up again, Ara saw that the three were almost to the door, the monk the closest, himself second, the girl third, and the chef fourth. He also noticed the absence of the examiner, but she did not seem to have quite the same effect as her entrance, merely just the underlying feeling that something was missing. _So, she's gone; well no matter, if I become a Hunter, I can ask for her name, and if's she's still watching, and if I can fight her, even meet her again, I'll try my hardest._

For the first time in a year, he was inspired to go far beyond his limits. Landing, Ara sprinted off with an incredible burst of speed, traversing the remaining 100 or so feet in a matter of seconds, snatching tags and KOing anyone in his way. Like a comet, he streaked through the crowd.

As Ara skidded to a stop at the door, a computer announced, "Show at least three tags, then proceed.

He emptied out his pockets to reveal, "158 tags. That's enough, right?"

"You may pass," it stated simply as it let him through, unperturbed by his sarcasm.

Before Ara went into the door, he looked behind him, viewing the aftermath of the experience. About 30 contestants were left, out of the hundreds that had originally started. The prominent ones were a wrestler, three brothers, the thief, the monk, the chef, and a man with funny eyebrows.

 _So, these are the best of what the Hunter Exam applicants have to offer? Only those three are on my level, the rest still haven't reached that point, where you leave normal humans standards and jump to the next level._

As Ara looked at the room beyond the door, he only saw upon a tiny space, big enough to hold 2 or 3 people, a closet, really. _This is the next stage? A claustrophobia test? No—wait, I hear machinery in the background, it might be an elevator._

Not believing there to be any worry, he stepped into the room. Or rather, he fell through it.

 _Oh, the floor was a hologram, well, I'm in a tunnel now, almost a free fall, better let it take me wherever. I don't think I broke any rules, so this should just be taking me to the next part. Or maybe I'm supposed to stop myself from falling and climb back up?_

Changing for sliding on his back with his arms tucked in and feet pointed, Ara adopted a spidery position, his fingers and toes just barely touching the curves of the tubular slide around him.

In one quick motion, Ara heavily pressed his fingers and shoes to the sides of the tube, but to no avail, it seemed to be almost frictionless. _Well, guess I can't stop myself, not unless I slow down._

Returning to his former poise, he waited for something to happen, and something did, as another person entered the tube, they started screaming. _So, it's not someone too strong, they don't have any self-control._

As the slide's slant steadily level out, from what was a steep fall before, water began to fill the tunnel from jets in the sides. _So, it's a water slide? Well, I'm just wearing normal clothes, it's ok if they get wet._

Suddenly, the tunnel took a sharp veer to the left, throwing Ara into the side roughly. _So we're turning—No, wait I see other slides now, there must be a whole network. I guess it's so we can all have separate tests, or at least in smaller bunches, there are probably less than 100 applicants left._

As they continued down the tunnel for another 10 minutes or so, the follower's screams lessened, and Ara began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. _So, if it's maybe a 30-minute ride, and we've been going pretty fast, we're out of the skyscraper by now. Maybe out of York New City altogether._

At last Ara popped out of the tunnel, in closed off room, which was dank and musty. Worryingly, he noticed several bloodstains around the room. _If it's been used before, these Hunters are sloppy, and if the blood is meant to scare us, then it's even sloppier, maybe they are—_ Ara broke off mid thought as the other person crashed into him, knocking him out instantly.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **A/N Well, that's chapter 2. I guess I like cliffhangers.**


	3. Chapter 3: Second Test

**A/N So, chapter 3. This is fun. I like writing. 3 word sentences. Yay for fragments!  
** Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter (2011)  
Underline = ability or special  
Italics = thoughts or emphasis

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

As Ara groggily woke up, he saw a stranger squatting over his head. "Let me go." Ara ordered unceremoniously, noticing how he was bound up.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to your elder!"

The speaker was a man in his low 20s, with crazy spiked eyebrows, reminding Ara of a kids' show he used to watch. _Ugh, this guy's going to be a pain, a stickler for customs, but young, probably in this exam for some ulterior motive like money or fame._

"I'm sorry, could you _please_ let me up?" Ara put on a childish grin and approach and demeanor, with his best kid look. _I swear, this guy's already getting on my nerves for some reason.  
_

"Stop the act kid, you half to say it like you mean it!" he shouted, standing and pointing with outstretching finger harshly at Ara.

"Ok, I'll just break the rope, I was just being polite, but whatever, your choice." Saying this, Ara easily snapped the rope that held him in place, stood up, and was pleased by the man's troubled reaction as he did so.

Examining his location for a moment, Ara noticed that they were in a tall, brown brick elevatorish room, with two exits. One was high above his head, the slide that he had entered from, the other was a hefty metal door taking up a side of the room. On closer examination, a slot on its right side contained a watch.

"So, who are you?" A new voice said.

Its owner was a tough, armor wearing, man, probably in his mid 20s, sporting a beard and a huge axe on his back. _Ugh, are they all going to be trouble?_

"Aranawa Sutobi, and you guys?"

I said, 'that's no way to talk to your elder'!"

"Oh, shut up, I'm a senior to both of you and I don't mind. Let the kid say what he wants, it doesn't matter. I'm Sandose Kalui." _Well, I guess this Sandose Kalui guy is Ok._

"Fine, I'm Zental Hermine."

"Hah, that's a girl's name, Hermine, am I right Sandose!" said Ara, chuckling and honestly laughing, but also trying to get on Zental's nerves.

It worked.

"You better watch your mouth kid! Or I swear, I'll—" Zental was cut off mid sentence as the finger he had again been pointing at Ara was bent back, almost to the point of snapping in a flash.

"You were saying?"

"Well, kid you got spunk!" chortled Sandose as Zental was pleading for his safety. "Leave Zental alone, he's just running his mouth, probably a little stressed out." Ara let go of his finger.

Turning to Zental, Sandose said, "Well, you're a rookie, right?"

Having recovered his finger, but still being shaken up, he replied, "Yeah, it's my first time taking the exam." After a pause, and regaining some dignity, composure, and confidence, he rephrased, "It's my first time taking the exam, but I'll pass!" his voice cracking at the end.

After finishing a brief chuckle at Zental's voice crack, Ara retorted "It's my first time too; don't think you'll get any special treatment just because you haven't done this before."

"Right you are, Ara, may I call you Ara? Anyway, you were approached by Tonpa, right Zental?" Sandose asked Zental.

"Yeah, he tried to offer he some poisoned soda."

"So you didn't take it?" replied Sandose in disbelief.

"No, this guy came up to me and said it was poisoned, but when I said that I actually was thirsty, he gave me his water canteen. He was a really nice guy." Zental pouted, almost on the defensive.

"Pour it out."

"What? No, that guy gave it to me, his name was like Ramoy or something, he was really nice!" Zental shouted, now certainly defensive of this Ramoy.

"Wow, you're so fresh into this, you almost got scammed? You know what I'm talking about, right Ara?" Sandose asked the boy.

"Yeah, it's obvious. They were a team, I met Tonpa too, but the other guy, Ramoy must have been his partner. Tonpa gives you mistrust, then Ramoy lures you in with a false sense of security and trust, then strikes. Fools like you never see it coming."

"Seriously, watch your mouth, one of these days..." he trailed off, as Ara threateningly cracked his knuckles.

"Ok, I get it, but that's a disappointment, I thought there were actually people like that." Zental said with a disappointed sigh, ditching the poisoned water canteen.

"There are, it's just that they're rare, and even rarer at places like this." Sandose replied with an air of wisdom, stemming from experience.

"So, I guess it's about time we get out of here." Ara changed the topic from an otherwise uncomfortable one, and an awkward silence that had begun to fill the room.

"Ah, yes, this is one area where I am the most proficient here." Zental bragged. "We've got a triple release byrine lock. Blah, blah, blahbity, blah, blah, blah. Blah blah. Blah blah, blah..."

Sandose whispered to Ara "He keeps going on about this stupid lock, but it's really simple. All we n—".

"Hey, you said I could explain!" Zental shouted, using his classic finger point.

"What happened to respecting your elders?" Ara muttered to Sandose.

"Hey, I heard that, you little runt!" Zental revealed.

"Yeah? So what! What are you gonna do about it, huh?" _Provoking Zental is becoming surprisingly fun, I should keep doing this._

"Now, now, leave him alone, Ara, he's just a kid... oh, I mean, he's just a little annoyed and worried. I'll let him explain," Sandose said with a pause, "as long as he keeps it short and simple..." leaving the open threat hanging in the air.

"Clearing his throat, and loosening his shirt, Zental began, "all we need to do is take the watch over there, and press the face it with our pinky finger and reveal one thing about ourselves, then the watch flashes green."

"So, it's a test of skill." Ara realized.

"No, it's a test of faith, there's a lie detector in the watch, and if you say a lie, the watch flashes red. You can't get past the door without revealing something." Zental argued.

"So why can't you just say something like, 'yesterday I peed in a pool'?"

"First off, ugh, gross, and second, it asks 'something you've never told anyone, that's important to you', and there's a human judge watching us."

"So he saw me embarrass you? I hope this is going up on I-tube."

Turning to the camera, Zental got on his knees and pleaded, "O please don't show that video, O benevolent, kind guard, full of beauty and... nice stuff..."

"That's rich, but now he's definitely going to do it!" laughed Ara.

"Ok, Ok, guys, let's get back on track, enough talking about potential internet hilarity." Sandose interjected.

"Besides, Ara's right, it is a test of skill." the third man clarified.

"It is?" Zental asked.

"It is." restated Sandose.

"But I thought it was it was a test of faith, if you'd believe in the Hunter Organization enough to do that." Zental countered.

"That may be true for some, but for Ara and me it would be a test of skill."

"Yeah, I guarantee I can lie well enough to fool the watch, and I could just reveal something important, for example..." Ara trailed off as he walked over to grab the watch.

"By the way guys, nothing will go wrong if I just do mine right now, right?" Ara clarified.

"Yeah, the guard didn't say anything about rules."

"When was that?"

"When you were unconscious, and I tied you up."

"Pervert."

"Huh? I thought you might be dangerous!" Zental escalated."

"Well then why didn't you tie up Sandose, he looks more menacing than I do." Ara harrumphed.

"Well, you see, I, uh, ran out of rope." Zental admitted bashfully.

"Amateur," Ara muttered into a facepalm.

"Are there any more rules?" Ara asked, changing his mood from disappointed to curious.

Sandose replied, "Oh yeah, there's actually a time limit of an hour."

"How much have we used up?"

"Look on the watch." answered Sandose.

"Oh, it tells time." said Ara, surprised by the fact that the lie detecting watch actually could tell time, "About 40 minutes left."

"So, 15 minutes of you unconscious, 5 of us talking

"Actually, one last thing: what if we're not supposed to do this?" Ara's question spread a silence over the room, from Zental's raging, to Sandose's chuckling.

"That's true, Ara, but we both know that the tube that we came down is too high for us to reach easily, and it's impossible to climb up. Even if we could, there's no point to returning to where we were, and after climbing up to the tube, which wasn't easy, I found a grate covering it, about 3 feet up." Sandose lengthily explained.

"Ok then, here goes!" Ara announced.

The room grew tense as Sandose and Zental waited to hear Ara's secret.

Ara pressed the face of the watch with his pink finger, and solemnly, completely sure of himself, stated, "I killed my baby sister on purpose."

"After a couple seconds more of silence, but the tone in the room taking on a completely different feel, one of danger and wariness, the guard announced, "Number 559, Mr. Sutobi, may pass."

"All right!" Ara jumped up in the air.

Ara located a camera, thanks to the guard speaking, located near the slide. _So, there's a camera to watch us come in, presumably the guard has control over who comes into their test, and the grate on the tunnel, as well as the final decision in the confession._

Addressing the camera, he told the guard, "I have three questions: 1st, why did you chose three people? 2nd, why can't we just break through the walls to get around the test? 3rd, did you know who I am, and is that why you believed what I said?

Choosing his words carefully, the guard replied, "Regarding the first question, I chose you three based on your appearances, you looked like opposing characters, and my job was to find 3 like you, with potentially conflicting personalities. My answer to the second question is, though Mr. Hermine left it out, I did say that breaking the walls results in an immediate disqualification. Third, I did know who you were, but I was instructed by the examiner to not let this affect my choice."

"Our examiner, the girl in the pink dress?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, interesting."

Sandose coughed, interrupting the back-and-forth between Ara and the guard, "Well, not to interject, but there is a time limit on this test, and we're down to 30 minutes, so I'll say my secret next."

This time the guard coughed, "One more thing, you have to say your secret loud enough for everyone to hear it. I didn't mention this earlier, but for Mr. Kalui, a veteran of the Hunter Exam, I feel it is necessary, as he would most likely try to whisper into the watch."

Throwing the watch to Sandose, Ara gave him a thumbs-up.

"Actually before I go, was what you said true, Ara?" Sandose procrastinated.

Turning to the camera, to speak with the guard once again, Ara asked, "Is it Ok if I reveal if I lied or not after I pass?"

"No, that wouldn't change your result at this point." the guard explained.

"Ok, well I wasn't going to tell you guys anyway." Ara stuck his tongue out.

The crowd was unamused.

"Anyway, I guess I'll go."

"Pressing the face of the watch with his pinky finger, Sandose announced, "Though it is my dream to become a Hunter, I cried my first time in the Exam, almost the entire time."

The watch flashed green, "Number 245, Sandose Kalui, may pass." the guard announced.

Sandose gave the watch to Zental.

"So, I guess we won't delve in to that again..." Ara trailed off.

"Yeah, and now I have to reveal something about myself too, probably equal to killing or crying." Zental complained.

"Well, we're not getting any younger." Sandose grumbled.

"I'm thinking!" Zental replied.

Breaking Zental's brainstorm session, Ara interrupted "You've had all this time to think about what to say, I had to come up with a secret on the fly, and I did. Sandose had a little time, and you've had a ton! You should've thought of one in the time it took me to say this!"

"Fine, I got one!"

"Then do it."

"Ok."

"Zental dramatically put his pinky finger on the watch face, and said, "When I was 8, I played hooky from school for the first week, because I didn't want to be bullied!" saying this like it was an achievement.

The others merely shook their heads.

The watch flashed green for the third time, and the guard announced, "Number 344, Zental Hermine, may pass."

"Ok, LET'S GO!" shouted Ara as the door grated open.

"Turning back as the other two ran through the door, Ara asked, "Hey, guard, what's your name?"

"Helman Utygui."

"I'll see you around! Thanks!"

After that Ara ran to Zental and Sandose, who had run past the door, with only 5 minutes left on the clock.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **A/N Well, I'm not sure about these new characters, but this is looking Ok. Fan fiction is fun. It's a shame that not enough people read or watch hunter x hunter. So, before I had "mototube" but while reading the manga, in the hxh** **world, there's actually I-tube. so yeah, i changed it.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Leap

**A/N Well, chapter 4. Looks like I'll do a test per chapter. I'm gonna start drawing some characters too. Sandose should have a dwarven type beard in my opinion. idk. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm trying to make them** **longer each time.**

Underline = special or ability  
 _Italics_ _= thoughts_

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As the group of three, Ara, Sandose, and Zental ran through the metal door, that had previously barred their way, with every second left on their minds, sprinting into a limestone tunnel. Ara and Sandose quickly ran beyond Zental, with Ara eventually taking the lead by yards in under a minute.

After another minute passed, the passage that they had entered veered sharply to the left, letting Ara slip out of sight. He soon returned into view to Zental and Sandose, as he had stopped only a short ways after the turn.

 _Well this is going to take a little longer than I thought._ Waiting impatiently for Zental and Sandose to catch up, Ara leaned over the precipice he stood on. _Woah, that's seriously deep._ After focusing, he jammed his fingers into the fairly soft (for him) limestone wall, scooping out a sizable piece. Ara threw it over the edge of the pit, waiting for it to hit something. It never did. _Well that's cliché, and unfortunate. The pit must be really deep, it's not like the Hunters put some sort of net at the bottom that had noise cushioning, why would they? It's a pit of death. It must really be that deep._

Coming from the mountains, Ara had seen many pitfalls or sheer drops off snowy peaks, but nothing like this. As Sandose arrived, he whistled, "Well, that's going to be a problem, not sure how we can cross that."

"I could probably jump across."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it's only max 30 feet, not too far."

"Maybe you can jump across that, maybe you can't, but it doesn't matter. You'll die before you get across there."

"Why? It's just a pit. How else are we supposed to get across? Build our way their. Actually, I could probably make deep enough holes in the rock for footholds. See, I made one over there already." Ara suggested, pointing at his hole from before.

"Wow, you are strong. That might come in handy later, but not now. I've taken the Hunter Exam enough times to see past this. Remember the door in the first test? How it was seamless? There are probably all sorts of traps scattered around the pit. They don't want you climbing across the top, swimming across, or anything. Was the hole that you made to test how deep the hole is?"

"Yeah, but when I threw it over the edge, I didn't hear it land. Why?"

"It's not that you didn't land, it didn't land. Can you break out another piece?"

"Sure, no problem." carving out another piece of rock, he handed it to Sandose.

"Ok, so I'm not going to drop it, but I have some rope here." he fished around in a bag at his side for it, "Ahh, here we go."

Lowering it slowly, Sandose and Ara waited for something to happen to the rock or rope, and after about 20 feet, something did.

Whoosh! A huge saw popped out of the wall, cleanly severing the rock in half, and as the pieces began to fall, more and more saws, axes, swords, blades, and other weapons began to pulverize the remains of their test subject.

"That's what would happen to you if you tried to swing down across or jump down to the other side and climb up."

"Grizzly."

"Coming from a guy who might have killed his own sister, or at least joked about it?"

Ara just gave Sandose a harsh stare.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Finally, Zental arrived, panting.

"Took you long enough, we've had time to discuss food, strategies and check this pit out!" complained Ara, irritated that their time was almost up.

"We only have a minute left!" chastised Sandose.

"Ok, then what's the plan?" Zental panted.

"Give me the watch." said Ara.

"The watch we used to open the door?" Zental wheezed.

"Yeah, I just figured out how to get across the pit."

"Well tell us first, if it's all of us getting across." Sandose said.

"Ok, so, Sandose and I found that you can't cross through normal means, and the only thing that is a special factor about this test is the watch, we need to throw it in or something, there's nothing else that's logical." Ara explained.

"Oh well, that's that. That makes sense, it all works out, we use the new variable to pass, simple." Sandose agreed.

Zental sighed, and reluctantly accepted the child's proposal, "Fine, fine, throw it in, do what you need to do, you call the shots for this one."

Zental threw him the watch and Ara dropped it into the hole, the sound of whirring and cutting soon followed, as the watch was shredded.

"Hey, whoa, what did you just do?!" Zental exclaimed.

"Uh, I threw it in, like I said I would." Ara lazily replied.

"We never agreed on that!"

"Yes we did, and anyways, it's not your problem, you said I could call the shots."

"But still, we need—" Zental's retort was defended by the sound of machinery coming from the chasm. _Nice, right again, does Zental ever learn?_

"Ok, let's go, only 2 minutes left!" Sandose explained.

A bridge slowly raised itself from the depths, and the three ran across, the time they had left slowly draining.

They sprinted through a zigzagging passage, left and right. As Zental started to lag behind again, Ara slowed down and picked him up.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Zental protested, thrashing on Ara's back.

"Just consider it me paying off my debt to you." Ara replied glumly, "And stop struggling up there!"

"Debt of what?" Zental asked, stopping his erratic motions.

"Well, you did help us pass the first test, and you brought the watch to pass the second." Ara muttered.

"You're welcome." came the smug response.

"Oh shut up, you big baby, and what do you weigh, 152 pounds?"

As Zental blushed, he muttered mutely, "Yeah."

"I knew, I can tell the weight of most things when I pick them up."

"Whatever, shrimp." Zental was smacked on his head, "Anyway, how much further do you think it is?"

"Oh, not to much further, we only have maybe a minute, but it's enough." Sandose informed the unsightly pair, "Anyway, nice look you too." he added snidely with a wink.

The look they gave him was deadly.

A computer announced, "30 seconds remaining in the 2nd test." _Oh, this isn't good, only 30 seconds, I may be pretty fast, but carrying this lug, and waiting for Sandose, if I don't see the light soon, then I'll have to ditch them. If I can pass this test and become a hunter, I might be able to fight our examiner!_

And just as Ara was about to drop Zental, he saw the exit.

The computer announced, "10 seconds remaining in the 2nd test." _Oh, come on, why do you even need to say that. If you're that close it's not helpful, and if you're too far, it's just an unpleasant reminder of how you won't succeed. How cliché._

"There it is, let's go!" Zental encouraged, as they entered the final stretch.

"You're not even running, I'm carrying you!" Ara protested.

"Let's just go, both of you, come on!" commanded an irritated Sandose, out of breath.

"5 seconds remaining in the 2nd test." the computer reminded them.

90 feet...

60 feet...

30 feet..

10 feet...

The last trio burst through the exit, landing, skidding, and tumbling to a stop, piled up. As Zental complained and Sandose sighed and moaned, Ara could only laugh. _Who ever knew this could be so much fun? It looks like I've found my first companions, I hope we are or will become friends!_

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

After Ara, Sandose, and Zental had caught their breath and brushed themselves off, Ara examined the room. _Well, it seems like we were right about the watch thing, everybody here is a group of three. 12 groups, 36 people left. That's nothing compared to the 600 or so we started out with, if even a third got past the first test, we'd have a little less than 200. But 36! That means only 1/9 of the contestants pass, so 2/3 drop out every time._

Ara also noticed that the other three strongest had passed, the girl, monk, and chef all sitting in their respective groups. _Well, I'm glad to see that they made it, but it wasn't that_ _much of a surprise, all you had to do was get people to confess, and throw a watch in a pit, overall the challenges weren't that hard; only fighting and teamwork. What an interesting test._

They sat in a large, circular room, and like the others in the underground section, it was hewn of rough, red, brown rock, lit with fluorescent lighting, with a relatively low ceiling. Every few feet around its circumference, doors were either opened or closed, and the majority were the latter.

"So, how long do you think we have to wait?" Zental asked, after a time.

The quiet of the room was broken as he opened his mouth, but no one replied for a good minute. "Let's just wait until our examiner comes." Sandose finally said.

And, as if on queue (most likely because of microphones stationed in the chamber) their examiner walked in.

He was a slender man, black hair, wearing a pink dress shirt which was only half tucked in to formal pants. Wearing large glasses, and giving a very humble, even weak feeling, but also holding the same latent energy as the girl, though significantly less.

The contestants were again mesmerized, excluding Ara, the girl, chef, and monk. They were still in awe, but didn't feel quite the same amazement. The man walked into the middle of the room and began to announce the next challenge...

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **So, that's the end of the chapter. I do awkward silences a lot. That's kinda how my life goes. I can take them out. :| Anyway, I'm introducing a bunch of characters from the show, with new purposes, it's cool. Any challenge ideas? It's hard to come up with them.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Ride

**So, 5th chapter, haven't published in a little while. School and whatnot. Plz review? maybe? Sorry if this challenge isn't that good, or** **if any of the others were bad. Also, I had to rewrite almost all of this, I forgot to save and closed my laptop, and when I opened the doc up, it was almost all gone. :( Also, I really like long corridors, they're just so useful for writing.**

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

"Hello everyone, I'll be your next examiner." The man in glasses strode into the middle of the circular room, as the entrants looked on in awe. _This man, he has the same presence as the first examiner, that girl from earlier. Just how strong is he?_

"I shall now explain the next test. So far, all 36 here have been tested in combat skill and mental skill. This test is a combination of the two. In 15 minutes, all who wish to proceed can follow me through this door," the thin man gestured behind him, at the door he had entered through, "and follow me to an airship. In three the airship will arrive at the next test. The length is three days, and during that time you simply have to remain hidden from me. If I take your tag before three days is up, you lose. To proceed off the island and become a Hunter, you must present your tag at the end of the period. You get a 30 minute head start."

The hunter walked back through the door, and the contestants followed. Ara contemplated the meaning of the rules. _The rules don't say you lose if your tag gets taken, only if the examiner takes it. In other words, you can either hide or give your tag to someone else for safe keeping. I guess you could also leave the island, but it's unlikely that anyone will try to swim or build a raft, it's too_ _conspicuous and impractical. Over all, the way to win is either to_ _personally guard your tag, or give it to someone else. But, if you can't make it in 3 days, even if your tag hasn't been taken, you lose._

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As the group of 36 walked in trios down out of hallway, for the first time in over an hour, they saw the light of day. The airship was waiting for them, a huge model, towering stories up, with the classic sharkish grin painted on the front. "Woah, that's huge!" Ara shouted, basking in the warm sun.

"Yeah, I think it's the new model." Zental replied. Finally with some tension gone, the pair started to get along.

"That was a crazy challenge, the pit was so creepy!" Ara recounted.

"Yeah, I was way behind you guys when I finally got there!" Zental replied, the two chatted about the challenge, what they did, and other things, forgetting the less than pleasant relationship they had before.

"Oh, so you're an engineer?" Ara asked.

"Yeah, but to do my next job, I need to have a Hunter license." Zental explained.

"Oh what's the job?"

"We're building this huge ship that will be the biggest ever! And it's said that it's going to explore the whole world, and fly, and go underwater!" Zental carried on about various details of his next job as the groups walked towards their airship.

Sandose walked up to the two, and noticing some harsh eyes pointed their way, "Maybe you guys should save the chit-chat for later, we're getting some mean looks, everyone else is still worried about being able to pass the test."

"Ah, I see, we'll stop, sorry Sandose." Ara whispered. _Wow, this is pretty fun, it's the first time in a while that I've spent time with friends, the first time ever, really._

The 12 parties and the examiner reached the ship, boarded it, and took their places in a large central cabin, most sitting by the windows. It was a spacious area, with tables and chairs scattered about, and the large engine hidden away inside a closed off space in the middle of the room.

One competitor asked the examiner, "Can we have some food or drink?" and afterwards, a bar with a fridge popped out from the central area, allowing anyone to go and get something to eat and drink, replenish their strength.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Sandose, Zental, and Ara sat near the back of the airship, and talked about the events that had transpired as they began to take off.

"So, Ara who are you?" Sandose asked.

"What do you mean, I'm just a kid who has trained a lot." _Please don't pry to deep, it would get weird. I don't want to spoil all the fun I'm having._

"Then I guess what I mean is, why are you taking the Hunter Exam. I'm doing it because I'm a bounty hunter and my next target is in a country that can only be accessed with a Hunter license. Zental already told us why he wanted one. What about you?"

"Well, for now I'll just tell you the basics. I was trained a lot as a kid, and now that I'm done with my training, I want to fight a lot. You could say it's my purpose, to fight. I've already won in most non-hunter competitions, but to do anything more serious, I need a Hunter License, plus I was hoping for a good fight or two along the way. There are three other people here who are one my level." Ara explained.

"What do mean, your level?" Zental asked.

"Well, no offense, most people here are pretty weak, at least compared to me."

"Woah, what do you mean, you're fast and all, but you're not _that_ strong!" Zental protested.

"Yes, he is. He could take everyone except those three out in the blink of an eye. I saw him during the first test, or rather, I only saw the trail of destruction he left." Sands replied.

"That good! Everyone here! That's crazy!"

"Remember when you were pointing at him, and he moved really quickly and grabbed your fingers?" Sandose asked.

"Yeah, it was pretty quick, but I could see him move, but it's nothing like Heaven's Arena or what you see on TV."

"That was about 10% of my speed." Ara lazily told him, checking his nails for invisible dirt.

Zental stared.

"Come on, 10%? That's crazy!"

"Ok, how do I prove it to you?" dared Ara.

"Oh, well... Go over and grab me a drink, and a sandwich from the food area. It's about 50 feet away, so if you get back within 10 seconds, I'll say you're pretty fast."

"Sure, does anyone have a timer?" Ara inquired, stretching.

Sandose pulled out a watch, "3... 2.. 1..." Ara adopted a starting pose, "GO!"

A blur was all that could be seen as Ara broke the floor with his first step.

"1"

"2"

"3"

"4"

The blur stopped and returned to the table, with a bored Ara handing Zental the promised food. "Well, here you go, they only had maybe 10 flavors of this, so I tried to choose the best one. Also, this sandwich might be a bit smashed, I bumped it on my way back."

Everyone in the room stared at the boy, even the monk, thief, and chef were amazed at his act of speed. The room was dead silent.

"Oh, and I got Sandose and myself some lunch to." Ara handed another sandwich and drink to Sandose, and put some in front of himself, sat down, and started to eat.

Clearing his throat, Sandose started their conversation again, as the other groups looked away, "Well, Zental, anything to say, four seconds is pretty fast, especially compared to your 10 seconds."

"Yes, Ara, you have earned my praise." Zental said shakily.

"Meh, don't really want it but whatever. How do you guys like the food?" Ara spewed, his mouth full of his lunch.

Opening the bags that their sandwiches came in, the other two dug in. "Woah, this is really good, my compliments to the chef!" Zental praised.

"Yeah, no kidding, I guess Hunters really have the best in everything." Sandose heartily chowed down.

"Well guys, I'm gonna look around, maybe see if there's a place to sleep, I haven't gotten any shuteye for a while, and that meal is making me sleepy."

"One quick thing before you go, Ara." Sandose put his hand on Ara's shoulder.

"Yeah?" Ara yawned.

"Are you _that_ Ara? The one in the posters?"

"Well of course I am, there's no one else named Ara who has a reputation like me, is there?" Ara grinned. _That'll give him a scare._

Sandose grinned, and leaned back into his chair, with a confused Zental looking on. After Ara left, he asked Sandose, "What was that all about, is Ara famous or something?"

"You don't know? Well I guess you wouldn't you don't know anything about bounty hunting or dangerous criminals."

"Dangerous criminals? You're saying Ara is a killer or something?"

"Remember what he said about killing his sister for the challenge?"

"Yeah, but still, Ara could be a killer or something, what did he do?"

"Well it all started three years ago..."

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

"Ara was a young kid, so they say. He had trained in a monastery in the mountains in the south, and he was their top student. But when he was 9, he broke out, killing his teacher and a bunch of fellow students."

"Realizing the threat he posed to the world, the monetary put out a reward for Ara, and as he defeated every bounty hunter, warrior, thug, hero, or villain that came after him, his bounty grew, it's one of the largest in the world. About a year ago, it was taken down from most areas because no one bothered to try, or was too scared, he was invincible. They say if you catch him nowadays, you and your descendants could live for generations on the reward."

"That huge?" Zental interrupted.

"Yes, that huge." Sandose sighed.

"Anyway, not much is known about the two years after, but it is known that Ara participated in tons of tournaments or fights, from wrestling to sports. Any competition that had to do with high level fighting or action, you could bet he was in it. He even visited other martial arts schools and monasteries to challenge them, fighting for two years."

"I guess what he said earlier was true, about wanting to take this test so he could fight stronger opponents" Zental surmised, "What do you think, about those other three he mentioned?"

"Well they're strong, the strong naturally gather among themselves, until one is on top. That chef, the girl, and the monk are all exceptionally strong. I've heard stories about all of them."

"Really, they're that famous?'

"No doubt about it, the chef is _Hilluti Flamboso_ , the monster that not only is a top-notch cook, but also a massive fighter. They say he can lift over 5 tons."

"That's insane, these people really are amazing." Zental commented.

"You, me, and all the others except those four are puny and weak."

"Don't forget about our examiners, they were even stronger!"

"Well, I'll tell you more about them later, I have an idea as to why they're so strong. Anyway, the girl is the legendary pickpocket, Stama Uchugi, who is said to have stolen the one of the Prince of Kakin's crown."

"How she'd do that, I thought the all the Princes there were all super isolated and safe."

"No idea. But she's undoubtedly, fast, maybe fast than Ara."

"That's crazy!"

"I know, but these people are all monsters, like you said, they're the super heroes that you'd see on TV."

"So who's the monk you mentioned?"

"He's _Uratsume Hurtuun_ , apparently the master of a hundred different martial arts, with a track record of defeating many evil doers over his long life, no idea why he'd take the time to get a Hunter license."

"Wow, so those three and Ara are all on that level?"

"Yeah, but I'd watch out for all the other shady characters too."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, you don't look so kid-friendly yourself."

"How so?"

"You're wearing armor, and you have an axe on your back! What do you even mean?"

"Oh, yeah."

Zental sighed, exasperated at his friend's idiocy. "By the way, what was the thing about our examiners being strong?"

"Oh, never mind, it's not important right now, I'll tell you when we become Hunters." Sandose grinned an put out his hand.

Zental took it, "Yeah, let's do this!" He said, their clasping hands sealing the deal.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Ara walked up, "Hey guys," he said drearily. Taking a closer look at what they were doing he asked, "Am I interrupting something?"

Quickly letting go, Sandose and Zental brushed themselves off.

"Oh, no no, it's just, well you see..."

"Oh, no, of course not, I mean, you know..."

"MmHmm" Ara accetpted skepticly

"Have you guys thought of what you're going to do on the island?" Ara asked after sitting down.

"Actually no, but that's a good idea. What are you going to do?"

"Well, since we have three days, first I'll get far away from the start, then set up camp after an hour is up. If anyone comes by, I'll take them down, if it's the examiner, I'll run. The second day, I'll set up a different camp and then scout around my area, or look for someone to fight. The third day, I'll stay hidden near the ship."

"Wow, that's really well thought out."

"Yeah, I was walking around the room looking for a place to sleep, when I saw the island out the window."

"Oh, we can see it from here?" Zental asked.

"Yeah, we've been on the ship for about an hour, and we have two hours more on the trip, plus we're so high up that we can see for miles."

"Cool, I'm gonna take a look!" Zental got up.

"Ok, but try to think of a plan while your there, it helps to see the island when you're doing that."

"Got it!" Zental ran off.

"Sandose, you got a plan?" Ara asked him.

"No, not yet, but I'll take a look too. Thanks for the food."

"No problem." The two sat quietly, relaxing 15 miles in the sky, with a brilliant peaking into the room, sitting on top of the world.

The two sat, competitors in a dangerous game.

The two sat, a criminal and a hunter, waiting for their friend to return.

The two sat, as a huge crash shook the airship, followed by a scream.

The two sat, gave each other a look, and ran towards the clamor.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **Well, that's all. The story's cool, I think. btw if I need to write metric units as well, tell me. See you next time! *Hums HxH music.***


	6. Chapter 6: The Feeling

**So, I had this whole speech written in an A/N. Then I trashed it... accidentally. So, the gist it, right now, I don't have that many reviews, but I'd like to have more. I think it would be cool to have a couple really successful stories here.** **Also, as other people begin to have thoughts, that are stated, I'll do their's in** **"** This _stuff_ **," (underline + italics) so you can tell they're not Ara's.**

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

As Ara and Sandose sat, waiting for the return of Zental, a loud boom shook the airship they were on, and a voice screamed out in terror moments later.

As their eyes met, the stationary pair sped towards the noise, for the timing of their comrade's departure and this disturbance were almost assuredly no coincidence. _That idiot, what has he gotten himself into now!?_

Ara took the lead, as he had shown his speed before, he demonstrated his superhuman physical ability, darting faster than the eye could see across a soccer-field sized room. In a matter of seconds, he had arrived at the other end of the ship, only to find himself experiencing a long forgotten emotion as he started to comprehend the scene before him. _I guess Zental really has a mouth on him, well seems like someone's gonna die._

Landing as the broken form of his friend, Ara kneeled down to inspect him, as a crowd gathered as Sandose approached. Ara surveyed Zental's broken body, recreating the event in his head. _So, the fool must have come up to here to look at the island, then pissed of that huge chef. The rest is history, he got completely annihilated after maybe pleading then finally getting struck down. The scream must have come from someone else. I don't know what Sandose will do, but I think I might be getting a bit angry._

Sandose was shocked, but his horror turned to anger, he turned to walk past Ara and said, "The chef?"

"Yeah, but it's not worth it for you, you'd be in the exact same boat that Zental's in."

"I know you, Ara." Sandose spoke softly now, and Ara realized just how calm Sandose had to act to be this way, to control his actions.

"I know you, and you know me. Maybe not as a person, but as a persona. I'm loyal to my friends. You're my friend, Zental's my friend. It's been a while since I had a friend, probably the same for Zental, and undoubtedly the same for you. We're just lonely, and that ties us together. I guess it was a good idea that we were teamed up."

Ara noticed a different tone taking over the bounty hunter's voice for the last sentence, one of pleading. Unfortunately, Ara recognized it, from an experience he had hoped to forget. _So, I guess I have to do something. But don't worry, I'm pretty angry too!_

Sandose collapsed from his bold standing position to a pleading one, and in the crater where Zental rested, he rested, on his knees. "Please Ara!" he wept, "Just teach that bastard a lesson! I'm not strong enough! But you are, so I need you to do this for me, you can have whatever reward I can give you, I don't care, just beat him for me!" The man was kneeling to beg Ara for help, and Ara was almost happy to oblige. _It's been a while... since I truly was angry at my opponent!_

"Don't worry, unlike you bounty hunters, I fight free of charge." Saying this, Ara left Sandose to sob, and walked through the contestants crowded around them, and split them like a river, carving a path straight towards his enemy.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

The chef walked away, a smug, cruel grin on his fat face. Without warning, his left arm bent and snapped, from casually at his side, to a twisted mess behind his back. Horrified, those around him, the other two members in his team backed away, sensing the oncoming battle of titans.

The chef cried out in pain in a deep tone, a outburst of anger and pain, clutching his mangled limb. After several moments passed, he stopped, regaining control of his emotions. Cold, beady eyes peeked out from his massive physique, tiny spectacles unfitting of his monstrous body. They scanned the air in front of him for enemies, without success. Turning, he looked around him, trying to spot his assailant. _Who did that? Where is he?! A friend of that bug I crushed?!_

The chef felt a presence on his left shoulder, and even while experiencing sharp pain from the contact near the broken limb, he overcame it and swatted at the general vicinity with his other arm, hoping to catch whatever had damaged him so much. _So, you think you're fast? I'll show you speed!_ _What a man, I just destroyed his arm in one blow but he still wants to fight me!? I might enjoy fights, but if I'm in worse position, I'll back off; this man, this man enjoys fighting even more than I do!_

But the chef stopped his attack short when he found nothing to attack, hitting nothing but air above the space where a grip held his shoulder. _Did he get out of the way and retreat? No,_ _I'm still being held, but there's nothing there. Is it some sort of remotely fired clamp? But if so, did they even expect to do any damage? Only someone extremely strong could destroy my arm like that, and dodge my attack. That's right, you fat lug, keep guessing, while I destroy your nervous system!_

Ara, who had dodged, still holding onto the chef's should, was now resting on the chef's back. Slowly, he hardened his grip, digging into the flesh of his shoulder until blood came out. _Suffer, suffer suffer! My fingers are stronger than_ _steel, and though you might have impressive speed and strength, he's nothing compared to me!_

Suddenly, the monstrous man squatted and stood up, bending his knees so fast that Ara could barely keep track of his surroundings, much less if the chef was standing or squatting. He flung Ara around like a doll on a bull, almost rattling his brain in his skull. _Try to keep your grip now!_

As blood started gushing from the chef's shoulder wound with his increased movement, Ara realized the chef's strategy. _If I let go, I'll be moving so fast that I'll go flying, and then he'll just take me out. But if he stops from exhaustion or blood loss either from his arm or shoulder, I win. It's a battle of endurance, my grip versus your strength! Crap, this guy's good, I want to fight him, destroy him for breaking my arm and digging into my shoulder! But can I last, this little bug's pretty damn strong! Plus I can't do anything else while I'm moving this fast, this is just a stall, where I'm losing blood and energy, and my opponent just has to last._

A sole, sinister thought came into the chef's mind. _Well, if he's not visible to me on the front of my body, he must be on my back! Let's see you dodge this one!_

As the chef's movement's slowed Ara saw his opening, and took it. _I planned to destroy your nervous system, and now I will!_

Bringing his other hand up, finally able to move on the chef's back, Ara prepared to strike as the chef carried out his attack as well. At the crux of his squat, the chef leaped backwards, clearing 20 yards with his backwards jump, as Ara, bewildered, lost some of his motor control in the weightless jump, their sideways free fall. _What's going on, he jumped backwards? He's trying to crush me against the floor after he figured out where I am. Quick, Ara, climb over him! No wait, that's just what he's expecting, if I go onto his front than he can crush me there._ _Yes,_ _panic, every moment you wait just makes it easier for me! __If I can't go up or down, then sideways!_

Ara lept off the chef's right shoulder, intentionally pushing off his body to move his trajectory a little to the right. As the chef turned to the left, seeing a blur take off, he realized who his assailant was. _That little kid! I should have known, only someone_ _that small could have dodged everything._

With the chef's brain still a bit rattled from giving Ara a ride through hell, his thoughts completely cleared only seconds too late. _Wait a second, he got off! He's gone! At this speed I need something to break my fall, to escape completely unharmed,_ _which was that brat before he got off. But I should be fine, a couple scratches compared to a broken arm and a hole in my shoulder._

The chef took on a momentary smug grin, but as Ara landed on a column and turned around to look at his opponent, the chef's confidence vanished completely. _Why does he look like that? He might have dealt some damage, but just an arm, I could still beat him! Is there a trap? No, he didn't have time to prepare something._

Trying to disperse these thoughts, the chef averted his eyes from Ara, only to tilt his head backward, so he could look at his destination to prepare for landing in these final airborne moments. _Well, I'll just land and then charge and attack him. I think I should land on the floor over there..._

The chef realized his mistake immediately. _But I'm not headed towards the floor, I'm headed towards that central black pillar. That little brat, he must have pushed me to the right while taking off to the left. So now, instead of hitting the floor, it's the engine?! If I hit hard metal at this speed, I'll break my head open, forget a few bruises, I'll die!_

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

The resulting crash was just as deafening as the first, if not louder. Now the chef's team and others from Zental's crowd ran over to the chef, while some looked at Ara in amazement, fear, or anger. Ara walked solemnly, not as a victor, but as a ma who has gotten revenge, as one who has reached a desolate peace, mournfully, devoid of any strong emotion. He heard the usual mutters and whispers, "That's him, that brown-haired demon?" "He's the one who killed that boxer."

As Ara scanned the 34 left, he saw some who didn't look at him with these common emotions, but with a burning desire to fight. That pickpocketing girl and that monk, they're the ones. Maybe a couple other want to fight, but we three who are left have a true burning spirit.

Ara arrived at Zental's body, Sandose tending to his wound. "It's over."

"I know." Ara turned away, but Sandose grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.

"Thank you, Ara. Seems like I owe you one."

"Don't be stupid, that's what friends do, we fight for each other."

"Are we friends?"

"Like I said, don't be stupid." Standing in a hole of a massive ship, two new friends beside him, Ara was happy. An enemy defeated, a friend saved. The Hunter Exam.

"So, maybe we should actually get him some medical attention, I think he has a couple of broken ribs." Sandose said.

"Yeah, gonna need a bit more than bandages and herbs to heal that up." Ara smiled, happy once again as he was surrounded by companions.

As Sandose carried Zental, looking for a doctor's office, Ara scouted ahead. _Well, I won, I saved a friend and beat a strong opponent. Seems like enough to me!_

Ara began to laugh, and for the first time in 3 years, he was truly happy.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **So, I'm going to up the violence slowly, just like the o** **riginal, kinda building in action level, with probably more cursing and darker themes. It's also going to jump way up when more main characters enter the show. I like this Hunter Exam. :|**


	7. Chapter 7: The Team

**Yay, 150+ views, and 50+ visitors! ... :| sigh. Well, I was inspired by all the views and stuff, so I wrote this chapter pretty quickly. That being said, there might be some errors. Plz tell me if I should correct anything.**

 **3 reviews, 2 of which are mine. kinda awkward. yup. Anyway, last chapter was the first major fight, and this is like the 4th test? 3rd test? idk.**

 **plz review, any advice or** **correction would be appreciated. (or just some feedback)**

 **Also, thank you Ina Bauer and Otaku000, you guys are the best!.**

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

As Zental laid in the mini-hospital on the ship, the examiner called the 34 remaining to the front of the ship. Even with an semi-untucked shirt and thick glasses, he grabbed their attention with his massive strength, and calmly informed them of what is, and what is to come, "Contestants, as you may know, one of you has died."

Shocked, Ara and Sandose, who were standing in the crowd glanced at each other with concern. Ara whispered to Sandose, "Crap, I didn't think I killed him, I just thought he was pretty badly hurt." _I hope I don't fail because of this._

"I hope they don't fail us." Sandose replied quietly. _Why did I have to get into that fight? I know that it was the right thing to do, and given the circumstance again, I would have done the same, but still, the consequences might be pretty severe._

"Hituli Flambose was killed by Aranawa Sutobi." Any talk that had been going on was hushed as stares like daggers were thrown from the contestants in the direction of the young kid, with the exception of the girl and the monk, and of course, Sandose.

"However, Aranawa can still take the test, as killing a contestant is not grounds for failure." The whispers began again as the testers discussed this news.

"Now, to proceed. As you all know, we will soon be arriving at the stage of the 3rd test." A few cheers played out in the crowd.

"As I have told you before, you must survive there and retain your badge until the end of the test. At the end of the test, if you can present your tag, you pass. However, some rules have changed, the stay on the island has been increased by two days, one more survival day, and a day to rest, for five days in total. Also, I will wait 30 more minutes, an hour in total before chasing you. This is in part because of the poor conditions of the engine, due to a large object crashing into it, but also to increase the difficulty of the test." Everyone again shot daggers at Ara.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

After the speech was over, the teams dispersed, all moving in groups of three towards their own areas. Only two groups, the chef's and Ara's had two in them.

After a while, as Sandose was reading a book from his bag and Ara sat looking at the contestants, it seemed like some groups were coming together, forming larger coalitions. "Hey Sandose, you see that?"

Sandose glanced up from his text, "What?"

"It seems there are larger parties now. Might be some trouble down the line, just wanted to let you know."

"Oh, that. Yeah I knew."

"Ok." Ara went back to looking around the room while Sandose turned back to his book.

"Kinda worrying? If a bunch of strong people join together, they could pose a threat to us."

He glanced up again, with a questioning eyebrow raised, "With your skill, I doubt it."

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

"Hey, what are you reading?" Ara leaned across the circular table to try to see if he could make anything out. While he wasn't a great upside-down reader, his effort was commendable. _Come on, right to left, flip the letters. So, that's the word... No... Is it... Oh, I see! Alright, next word._

Sandose was unamused by Ara's attempts and held his book upright, from its revealing position flat on the table.

To counteract Sandose's defense, Ara leapt onto the ceiling, climbing like a spider to try to read some more. _If I can get around fast enough I might be able to read the book in the correct orientation._

For several minutes Ara scooted around the ceiling, trying to get a glimpse of the hidden text. "Come on, just show me what you're reading!"

"No, it's secret! Stop it, Ara. I am trying to read."

"Just a peek?"

"If I show you will you promise, really promise to stop trying to read it?"

"Ehhh... Promise is a strong word." Ara smiled embarrassedly.

"Well then, there's your answer."

"Alright, more spider crawling it is."

"Actually, how are you even doing that?" Sandose inquired.

"What, clinging to the ceiling?"

"Yeah, as far as I can see, there aren't any handholds. Are you using weird gloves or something?"

"No, I'm just... doing it."

"What? That's not at all helpful. How, Ara, how?"

"Well I'm sorry, Sandose, I can't explain everything in the universe."

"You don't know how you're doing something, yet you're doing it?"

"Well, yeah. It's just one of those things you take for granted."

"Uh-huh. Do you know how any of your abilities work?"

"Of course, just not this one. And, I'm not dumb or anything, I finished high school curriculum at 9." Ara spoke with mock disdain. "And you, when did your education finish?"

"Before that, how old are you?"

"12."

"And you're done with high school?"

"Yeah, it's not super duper rare."

"It's pretty unbelievable."

"Are you saying you don't believe me? You doubt me, the mighty brown-haird demon?"

"No, it's not that. I believe you."

"Good. Anyway, back to your education."

"Well, I have a masters in topography. But, I am 25."

Ara left the conversation as it was, not wanting to comment on the fact that his friend had a masters in topography. _Topography? Who does that? He's a bounty hunter, so maps are important, but really? Topography? Why? Just, why?_

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

Ara and Sandose sat quietly, one looking out at the competition, one looking in at a book. "So, want to go check out the island. I assume we're going to be a team, so we should probably have a plan."

"Ok, let's go look."

The pair got up and walked to the front of the ship, blatantly regarding any looks they got. When they arrived, they were blown away by the view. Ara pressed his face up against the glass wall. "Woah, it's so beautiful!"

"Yeah." Sandose stood with a grin on his face.

After a short while, they started to come up with a plan.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

..."And that's when we'll move to the west-" Ara was explaining, when he stopped suddenly.

Noticing the break in their conversation, Sandose asked, "Ara, what's wrong?"

Turning slightly to his left, away from the blinding sun of the window he said, seemingly to no one, "You're going to have to do better than that to sneak up on me."

"Aww, but I thought I was doing a good job" A female voice played out melodically.

Sandose, bewildered, looked around for the source of the voice, but when he found nothing, he leaned over the table where they were sitting to whisper to Ara, "Who are you talking to?"

"That girl pickpocket." Ara replied in a monotone.

As air shimmered, a slender girl appeared, dressed in bright ribbony clothing, with a wide grin on her dark face. Her purple hair fluttered about as she shook her head. Ara might have gotten a little red in his cheeks, but even if he did, he quickly dissipated the emotion, refocusing on the situation. Sandose on the other hand, definitely became red, blushing heavily before regaining his composure with a cough.

"Yup, that's me!" Pausing to bow mockingly and speak in an overly polite tone, "At your service, your humble companion, Stama Uchugi." _Well, I hope she just tells us what she wants, as she's pretty attractive I don't know how long Sandose can resist, or myself for that matter._

Ara, ignoring his emotions replied, "Aranawa Sutobi."

"A pleasure."

"Likewise." Even though Ara's tone had been only a bit hostile up until now, he flashed a dark anger on his face as he spoke next, "If you're done spying on us, are you going to go, or do you want something else." _Probably the latter, you wouldn't show_ _yourself after hiding so carefully without cause._

Before Stama had a chance to answer, Sandose interjected, "Before you answer that, how did you sneak up on use?"

As Stama began to open her mouth to answer, she was interrupted once again, "Us, Sandose? More like just you."

"Both of you, shut up!" Stama hit them both on the head once, scolding them for their rude behavior. Regaining her composure with a petite cough, she answer Sandose's question, "I used a simple technique where you move so fast it blurs the space around you, rendering you almost invisible unless you move dramatically." She demonstrated her ability, disappearing almost completely right before their eyes.

"Amazing!" Sandose complimented her, a flirt either not noticed or disregarded by Stama.

"Yeah, but she still hasn't mastered it, she gets way too tired and can't move quickly while staying like that." Ara criticized coldly.

"And you think you can do better?" Stama provoked him, leaning down so that their faces were almost touching.

"W-w-ell yeah. I mean, I've never tried before but it doesn't look too hard."

"Then do it," she commanded.

Moving away from the table, Ara closed his eyes to focus. Opening them intensely he grinned, "Now watch a real master."

He vanished.

No haze.

No sound.

Seconds later, Stama felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped, but realized who it was immediately, "Alright little guy, you win this one."

"I thought so. But you're good, as good as anyone I've ever seen. Better than that chef."

"Yeah but I don't do much killing, it's pretty rare that I kill someone."

"To each his own." Ara shrugged and sat down.

"By the way, how old are you?"

"12, you?"

Stama deflated onto the table, "18..."

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

After they ordered some drinks from the minibar, Sandose, who had been reading during the last part of the conversation, put down his book. "So, you still haven't answered Ara's question: 'are you going to go, or do you want something else'?"

"Well when you put it that way, I was looking for something more than just to chat casually."

"You want a team?" Ara surmised.

"Yeah, but I have some good points for why we should. 3 points."

"Shoot" Sandose replied, giving her a pencil and paper from his bag.

"Ok, first point, as larger teams are forming as we speak, we might need to balance things out."

Sandose brought up a counter argument, "But you two are superhumanly skilled, even hundreds would still be at a disadvantage."

"And that brings me to my second point: your third teammate can't fight, or move for that matter. No way he's helping, only slowing you guys down."

"So you want to help us, in return for a guaranty of passing." Sandose gathered.

"Well, you're quick on the dime, I'll give you that," grinned Stama. But I have a different way of looking at it, "After seeing Ara fight for the injured guy's honor, I can see the bond between you three, and I respect that. You all want to pass, and so do I. If Ara is a scout for his speed, and carrying a person at the same time, you won't be able to pass. That's where I come in, I'm just freeing up the work, divvying it up to make it easier on everyone."

"And what about your team?" Sandose asked.

"They wanted to join up with one of the large groups, so I let them, we just... parted ways."

"Ara, what do you say?"

"Well she might have killed them, but she seems pretty trustworthy, on the surface." Ara replied, resting his chin on the table.

"I meant about her teaming. Also rude."

"Sandose, don't be fooled by her feminine wiles, she could be a cold blooded killer. Though, given the circumstances and her personality, I doubt it. So sure, we can team."

"Pleasure," Stama said sarcastically, but turned to Sandose and gave him a wink.

"It's all mine," he said romantically.

Suddenly screaming out, she cried, "Pervert! Brute! Rapist!"

As she kept screaming, several burly men gathered around, "You insultin' this here pretty young gal?" one of them asked.

Before Sandose could answer, pushed his chair back with a loud screech on the floor and walked up to the man, looking almost straight up into his eyes.

"Does it matter?" he spoke with a tone so cold, it made the entire room shiver.

The thug fell down, the scrambled up and ran, the rest of his gang following quickly after him.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

"So, what was all that about?" Ara asked Stama after he returned to his seat.

"Oh, just a test. If you had betrayed me I would have joined up with the monk instead."

"Don't think you're up to the challenge of surviving alone?"

"Please, it's easy, surviving in a forest, hidden, for four days. No, I'm just used to the city more. I could do it alone, this is just a convenience."

"Ok," Ara submitted.

"One last thing," Sandose informed Stama, "Just by the way, the injured guy's name is Zental."

"Got it. So, we're a team?" Stama asked.

"Yeeaaaahhh!" They cheered, banging the table.

—H—U—N—T—E—R—X—H—U—N—T—E—R—

 **Btw, I think I might change the description to just stuff about Ara. It's just that I haven't even introduced gon and killua. YET. The suspense! Also, change cover image? I edited a cool pic of netero, but idk what I should use for the cover. a hunter license? What should I do?**

 **Some more stuff: I'm trying to keep he flow of the original, a balance between fighting, planning, and messing around. Any tips on balance or writing? :|**


	8. Chapter 8--Stop, for now

Sorry, but for now I'm gonna post pone this story. I'm writing other stuff and I have a lot of work... I'll finish this someday, and I have a lot of other good ideas for fanfics! Read them? Maybe? Also, just watched gravity falls season 2 episode 19, don't know why i'm saying this here, but it was great!


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